This research aimed to evaluate the composition of wines made with white grapes which are particularly susceptible to sunburn symptoms due to the absence of anthocyanin. Sunburn is a complex physiological dysfunction leading to browning or necrosis of berry tissues. In vintage 2021, the canopy of ‘Verdeca’ grapevines grown in Salento, South Italy, was differently managed by sun exposing or shading the bunches. Micrometeorological conditions were studied at different levels. Grapes were vinified, comparing the winemaking with and without skin maceration. The vegetative-productive balance of plants was not substantially modified. On the contrary, a significant effect was observed on the quality and quantity of grapes produced: smaller berries with sunburn symptoms were found on unshaded bunches. This influenced the percentage distribution among skin, pulp and seeds, causing a decrease in must yield of up to 30%. The pH was significantly higher in macerated wines made using shaded grapes, due to a lower titratable acidity and to significant impacts on the acid profile. Obviously, maceration produced a higher extraction of phenolics in wines, which reached their maximum in wines made with sunburned grapes. The absorbance at 420 nm, index of yellow color, was also significantly higher in sunburned grapes, indicating greater oxidation. Even though excessive grape sun-exposure could negatively affect the perception of white wines made without maceration (resulting in more oxidative character), the sensory quality of orange/amber wines was not significantly impacted by the presence of sunburned grapes. Thus, this winemaking technique could be particularly interesting to set up a production strategy adapted to viticultural regions strongly affected by climate change.

The effects of global warming on plants are not limited to the exacerbation of summer stresses; they could also induce dormancy dysfunctions. In January 2020, a bud break was observed in an old poly-varietal vineyard. Meteorological data elaboration of the 1951–2020 period confirmed the general climatic warming of the area and highlighted the particular high temperatures of the last winter. Phenological records appeared to be significantly correlated to wood hydration and starch reserve consumption, demonstrating a systemic response of the plant to the warm conditions. The eight cultivars, identified by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles and ampelographic description, grown in this vineyard showed different behaviors. Among them, the neglected Sprino, Baresana, Bianco Palmento, and Uva Gerusalemme, as well as the interspecific hybrid Seyve Villard 12.375, appeared to be the most interesting. Among the adaptation strategies to climate changes, the cultivar selection should be considered a priority, as it reduces the inputs required for the plant management over the entire life cycle of the vineyard. Hot Mediterranean areas, such as Salento, are a battlefront against the climate change impacts, and, thus, they represent a precious source of biodiversity for viticulture.

The adoption of precision agriculture has the potential to increase the environmental sustainability of cropping systems as well as farmers’ income. Farmers in transition to precision agriculture need low-input and effective protocols to delineate homogenous management zones to optimize their actions without past knowledge e.g., yield maps. Different approaches have been developed so far, based on the analysis of the within-field variability in crop and soil properties, but procedures were rarely suited for operational conditions. We identified here a low-inputs protocol to map management zones from soil electrical conductivity and/or crop vegetation indices, using a winter wheat field in northern Italy as a pilot case. The reliability of the alternative data sources was evaluated at three crop development stages using a yield map as reference. Red-edge and NIR (NDRE) bands were the most reliable data sources for management zones identification, with 62%, 68%, and 74% of correct classifications at early tillering, stem elongation, and late booting, respectively. Our work identifies a minimum dataset for accurate management zones’ definition and highlights that in-season monitoring based on the red-edge band was able to reliably identify management zones already at early tillering, despite minor differences in crop growth.

Background and Aims The growth and development of grapevine is constrained by temperature, affecting the bulk of physiological processes of the plant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of climate change on thermal resources and limitations in the context of Georgia, one of the oldest viticultural areas in the world. Methods and Results The analysis on daily series of temperature for the time period 1974–2013 for the main viticultural areas of Georgia shows that an abrupt change to warmer temperature occurred in 1994, leading to a decline in low temperature stress and an increase in high temperature stress, associated with more frequent heat waves. The availability of thermal resources for grapevine growth remained unchanged. Conclusions In Georgia, the shift to warmer temperature did not affect the availability of thermal resources for grapegrowing. Although some attention should be paid to possible damage due to an earlier budburst and increased frost risk. Furthermore, it is important to highlight the strong increase of summer heatwaves with potential negative impacts on grape composition and phenolic maturity, when combined with severe water stress. Significance of the Study Quantitative studies of the effects of climate change on Georgian viticulture are essential to develop adaptation strategies based on either germplasm (e.g. rootstocks and cultivars) and agronomical practices (e.g. pruning, trellis systems, soil and water management).